03
Nov
09

the shape of things in rehearsal…

[UT]SOT082409Read about Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things through the eyes of Assistant Director/Dramaturg, Comfort Clinton:

“Oh! if I only could go back to my flower basket! I should be independent of…you…and all the world! Why did you take my independence from me? Why did I give it up?” This line, spoken by Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion, later adapted into the iconic musical theatre piece My Fair Lady, is undeniably applicable to the content of The Shape of Things, Neil Labute’s 2001 drama currently being tackled by the directing talents of Toby Tieger ‘10. The piece centers on two young college students just beginning their relationship, along with with their two friends planning for a wedding. The arch of the play is built on the transformation experienced by all four characters, as they change both physically and emotionally, exploring the inherent struggle between right and wrong and learn that the interaction between these two is merely what makes us, well, human.

One way in which we have been exploring this seemingly hypocritical type of existence in our production of Labute’s work is by emphasizing the show’s clear references to the story of Genesis. Labute alludes to this tale in ways that range from embedded subtlety, to hit-you-over-the head symbolism – even going so far as to name his title characters Adam and Evelyn. This historical allusion is perhaps most clearly reflected in our production of The Shape of Things by set design choices, mostly credited to Maura Jayne DeBattista, our chief set designer. Set pieces are constantly shifting, and Evelyn is continuously redecorating the space, in an effort to evoke fantasy and to represent Adam’s dynamic and ever-evolving desire to change, to improve, and most of all, to please. Audience members are also encouraged to look out for the set piece that directly echoes the story of Eve and the forbidden fruit, and will notice that it, like most of the set, evolves constantly.

The script of The Shape of Things, peppered heavily with cultural references, and numerous Oscar Wilde quotations, serves to create a fantasy world of its own. Characters often use cultural references to express their own feelings, and to convey their individual personalities. Evelyn fondly refers to Adam as “grasshopper”, an allusion to the 80’s television masterpiece “Kung Fu”, while Adam himself liberally quotes literary greats like Dickens and Kafka. While these are not exactly pumpkins magically turning into carriages, they function to enhance the world of fantasy, while also showcasing the unique type of relationship between the characters and possibly suggesting an inability to connect in a realistic way.

We have also worked to ensure that Labute’s references, and perhaps sources of inspiration -which come in the form of both the Cinderella and the Pygmalion story- are fully honored by our production. Just as Cinderella goes from dusty hearth-tender to belle of the ball, so too does the character of Adam transform from helpless nerd to desirable heartthrob possessing “questionable” morals and unusual behavior. In order to reach this point he places himself in the hands of another, to the point where he would be likely to utter something reminiscent of Eliza Doolittle’s plea for the return of her independence. His transformation is aided, and even catalyzed, by his new girlfriend Evelyn, who, in this context, seems to occupy the role of both fairy godmother and a contemporary Henry Higgins. She shapes Adam in much the same way that Professor Higgins attempts to mold Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, and, in doing so, creates what is close to a world of fantasy not unlike the realm of Cinderella.

While fantasy is a priority, our set choices serve to ground the show in reality, with most staging, as well as costuming, intentionally remaining minimalist and natural-looking. This naturalism is meant to contrast with the world of fantasy created by the ever-changing set, and therefore to blur the audience’s line of distinction between these two worlds. This, perhaps, harkens back to Labute’s seeming attempts to blur the line between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in his efforts to confront us with our infatuation, our obsession, with, as Evelyn would say, “the surface of things, the shape of them.” While the dialogue of The Shape of Things may leave the audience wondering where that dang strawberry handkerchief got off to, or who the heck Gregor Samsa is, our production hopes the audience will leave the theatre questioning whether the age old adage that ‘art imitates life’ is in fact true or if perhaps in the grander scheme of things, art is life.

Catch the Show Nov.4-Nov.7 at 8pm in the First Floor Theater.

02
Nov
09

check out photos from Power!Identity!Resistance!

The Borges Project:

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Sez She:

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The Stronger:

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Lithuania:

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28
Oct
09

workshops: a borges project

PIRwebRead more about the process of developing a piece that weave together the stories of Jorge Luis Borges. This time through the eyes of one of the actors, Gabe Kalal:

The Borges Project is finally coming together! After weeks of brainstorming and practice, we finally have a solid blueprint for the piece. The process has been very collaborative, with each of us volunteering alternate interpretations and adding our own touches in the group improvisations. From a personal standpoint, I’m really honored to be part of the project. I would never have dreamed of trying such a non-conventional dramatic process, but I’m so glad that I was given the opportunity to give it a try. We are all really thrilled to put our work on stage.

Come experience The Borges Project as one of the four workshops, in an event entitled Power!Identity!Resistance!, starting today. The show is at 8pm in the FXK Theater on the 3rd Floor of the Reynold’s Club. It runs through Saturday, Oct. 31.

 

27
Oct
09

come see the workshops!

PIRwebUniversity Theater proudly announces the opening of POWER! IDENTITY! RESISTANCE!, a harrowing week of workshop productions, featuring LITHUANIA by Rupert Brooke; THE STRONGER by August Strindberg; A BORGES PROJECT by Ofer Ravid, and SEZ SHE by Jane Martin. Each piece showcases a different format, but all engage the problem of shifting identities. On Halloween weekend, UT will delve into the ramifications of cloaked characters and ghoulish personas.

The show opens with A BORGES PROJECT, directed by Ofer Ravid of the University of Toronto. The piece weaves disparate stories together – in this case, the literal stories of enigmatic Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges. Seven actors have collaborated with Ravid to create a unique interpretation of these texts, improvising and developing dramatic scenes from Borges’ philosophies. The process doesn’t just inform the performance – it creates the performance.

Then, Beth Walker’s (BA ’11) presentation of SEZ SHE, featuring the monologues of 6 women who each discover that a sudden change in their lives forces them to reconsider their sense of self.

 

Megan Geigner, the UT Production Manager, takes a similarly challenging approach to a given text. THE STRONGER juxtaposes monologue with silence, examining the relationship between two competing actors. Geigner has enhanced the competition by directing her production in repertory: the two performers will rotate roles each night.

The evening closes with another treatise on silence, LITHUANIA, directed by Evan Garrett (BA ’12) on the anniversary of its opening night 95 years ago. This historical revival pits a poor family of Lithuanians against a nighttime visitor with a hidden agenda. As the tension and the terror build, Garrett explores the frightening weight of
the unspoken.

Join UT from October 28-31st at 8 PM in the Third Floor Theater of the Reynolds Club for a dynamic, haunting week of drama that questions as it camouflages and tricks as it treats.

21
Oct
09

workshops: the stronger

DSC00003Read about the experiences of Alli Urbanik and Elle Riley-Condit working on August Strindberg’s The Stronger, Directed by Megan Geigner:

One of the most challenging and exciting things about switching roles in a 2-woman play is the discovery of multiple characters. Normally, you sit down with your director and other cast mates to has out who your character is, and then slowly discover more about them during the rehearsal process. While this is also true of a production where the roles are switched, everything seems to happen in fast forward motion.

You and your partner are constantly pushing yourself to discover new and different aspects of your characters in several ways. First, in running the show, we find new and different things each time because we are attempting to play off of each other’s portrayal without simply copycatting it. Second, in conversation about our characters, we unearth multiple background to the characters that deeper our understanding and increase the complexity of the relationship between the people onstage.

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While this work is very challenging, it is also very rewarding. When we act, we are reacting to stimulus from our scene partners. Because we are portraying both characters it is sometimes easy to get stuck wanting to play something to justify our performance in the opposing role. For example, in one moment, Frau X attempts to frighten Mlle Y. In my performance as Mlle Y, this moment is actually scary, and I expected Elle to react in the same way. Instead, she felt annoyed by my attempt to frighten her. At first, I was frustrated by this and had a lot of trouble with the moment because I knew what the moment was for me as Mlle Y. Once I accepted that the moment was going to be different and forced myself to work through it, I discovered a new power relationship between the two women that in turn influenced my performance of Mlle Y in other parts of the play.

Perhaps one of the best things about working in this way is that rehearsals never become monotonous or repetitive. There is always something new to play with, something different to notice. It keeps us on our toes and forces us to continue discovering even as the show begins its run.

You can catch the show next week, Oct. 28-31.

15
Oct
09

Workshops: The Borges Project

PIRwebDirector Ofer Ravid shares his thoughts about the process of adapting the short stories of J.L Borges for the Stage:

We are now in the middle of the second week of this creation process, just before our seventh rehearsal.

Devising is always a challenge. Devising Borges is even more so because his texts are enigmatic and mostly provide philosophical ideas rather than narrative with dramatic action. My intent was to explore with the actors the worlds Borges imagines. In the play, we connect various elements from these worlds (characters, scenes, images, ideas, gestures) into a single staged world. All we have at the beginning of the process is each other and five short stories. Everyone in the group must be willing to jump into the work, without a para-shoot, trusting in the others and in the process. We started with exercises designed to create mutual trust and openness within the group. These exercises and improvisations also help us to develop a physical vocabulary with which we create the imagery and the elements of the story — the building blocks of the play. After accumulating our building materials it is time to put things together and to take some structural decisions, based on what we discovered about the play so far. The play is written in this way, in space and through the actors’ responses to the stories and to each other.

Catch his piece as one of the four Workshops going up Oct. 29

09
Oct
09

The Shape Of Things

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University Theater (UT), the student-run theater company and collaborator with the University of Chicago Theater and Performance Studies school (TAPS) proudly announces the opening of the first full-length UT production of the 2009/2010 school year, THE SHAPE OF THINGS, written by Neil LaBute and directed by Toby Tieger (BA ’10).

SHAPE examines the drastic consequences of some serious attitude adjustment – or is it mind manipulation? Individuality and morality wrestle for dominance in this tale of four college students whose relationships twist and pucker through one man’s attempt at self-improvement. LaBute’s drama challenges the boundaries between autonomy and conformity, between truth and desire. Playing the role of Adam, (Blake Obuchowski, BA ’10) must discover how far he will go to please his new girlfriend, Evelyn (Kim Siegel, BA ’13), who threatens to overturn his entire world.

But Tieger’s production of SHAPE extends beyond the question of relationship power dynamics. He is concerned as much with the “subtle changes of life” as with its broad brushstrokes. This subtlety is reflected in the fluid set design of Jayne DeBattista (BA ’11), whose rotating, easily manipulated cubes mirror Adam’s journey, never cushioning the consequences of each tiny shift. Each of these shifts will resonate as much with audiences as with the characters, “four people who are just trying to connect with each other”, but whose changes keep pushing them farther apart. The quest for identity and the sting of emotional betrayal sculpt a complex and shocking masterpiece in THE SHAPE OF THINGS this fall. Don’t miss out on the unveiling.

THE SHAPE OF THINGS
First Floor Theater, Reynolds Club
5706 S. University Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637
November 4th-7th, 2009
8:00 pm, Tickets are $6

For More Information, photos, or to reserve tickets, email:
William Bishop, Publicity Manager, william.f.bishop@gmail.com
ut.uchicago.edu

09
Oct
09

Our New Casts

University Theater would like to congratulate the following casts for this quarter’s productions:

Lithuania

Stranger: Ely Fish
Vodka Shopkeeper: Molly Fitz-Maurice
Daughter: Isabel “Izzy” Olive
Father: David Ramsey
Vodka Shopkeeper’s Son: Jake Smith
Young Man: Alex Aima
Mother: Mary Claire Walther

The Stronger

Alli Urbanik
Elleanor Riley-Condit

Borges Project

Aimy Tien
Ben Horn
Harrison Adams
Tamara Silverleaf
Susan Augenbraun
Jesse Roth
Gabe Kalal

Sez She

Actor 1: Annie Hardy
Actor 2: Alexis Chaney
Actor 3: Claire Stone

The Shape of Things

Adam: Blake Obuchowski
Evelyn: Kim Siegel
Phillip: Adam Rosenthal
Jenny: Emilie Lohman

Fefu & Her Friends

Fefu: Jane Makin
Emma: Bryn Adams
Cindy: Juliet Beletic
Christina: Markie Gray
Julia: Annie Considin
Paula: Briana Finegan
Cecilia: Hayley Doner
Sue: Allison McCaffrey

Car Cemetery

Ted Gold
Fred Schmidt-Arenales
Rudy Foster
Autumn McConnico
Colin Lethem
Hunter Buckworth
Liam McLaughlin

We’d like to thank everyone for coming out! Please continue to support University Theater by coming out to all the shows and getting involved next quarter.

04
Jun
09

The Last Ninety Minutes in the Life of Nikola Tesla

02
Jun
09

AWARDS

The Theater and Performance Studies School at the University of Chicago is very honored and equally proud to announce the 2009 winners of the prestigious Francis Xavier Kinahan Award, Theater and Performance Studies Award and the Olgan and Paul Menn Foundation Award.

The Francis Xavier Kinahan Award is presented to the graduating senior who has made the most significant contributions to University Theater. We at TAPS are pleased to present this years award to

Katherine Greenleaf.


The Theater and Performance Studies Award is presented to the graduating student concentrating in Theater and Performance Studies who has best demonstrated the integration of artistic and academic excellence. Their B.A. project shows the farthest level of completion and development, while the candidate’s work during their final undergraduate year shows the highest level of motivation and discipline. In addition, their academic and theatrical production participation over their collegiate career demonstrates the highest level of artistic excellence and dedication. We at TAPS are pleased to present this years award to

Lee “Augie” Praley.

The Olga and Paul Menn Foundation Award is awarded for an original play of one or more acts. There is a first and second prize awarded.

This years 1st place prize award goes to Kathryn “Kit” Novotny for her original play re/collect

This years 2nd place prize goes to Mitch Salm for his original play Saints